Ex-Southern Knight Rory Darge returns to Scotland line-up for round two of rugby’s 2024 Six Nations

Rory Darge in action during a Glasgow Warriors' 19-14 United Rugby Championship loss to Edinburgh at the capital's Murrayfield Stadium at the end of December (Photo by Ross MacDonald/SNS Group/SRU)

Former Southern Knight Rory Darge returns to international rugby duty this weekend after missing the start of Scotland’s 2024 Six Nations campaign with a knee injury.

The 23-year-old – at the Melrose-based Fosroc Super6 side, as they were then, for the 2019/20 season before moving on to Edinburgh and current club Glasgow Warriors – has been named in the Scots’ starting XV for France’s visit to Edinburgh’s Murrayfield Stadium this Saturday, February 10, with kick-off at 2.15pm.

It’ll be the East Lothian-raised flanker’s first game since Warriors’ 19-14 United Rugby Championship defeat away to Edinburgh at the end of December, having been ruled out with a knee strain since.

Darge, capped 15 times since 2022, will co-captain the national team alongside fly-half Finn Russell against the French, beaten 38-17 at home to Ireland in round one of the tournament last Friday.

Cameron Redpath during a Scotland training session at Edinburgh's Oriam on Tuesday (Photo by Craig Williamson/SNS Group/SRU)

Last week’s selection for Saturday’s 27-26 victory to Wales in Cardiff marked an unwelcome milestone for rugby in the region as it was Scotland’s first for 99 years not to include so much as single Borderer and this week’s makes it two on the bounce, though French-born Cameron Redpath, one of ex-Melrose scrum-half Bryan Redpath’s sons, will be among the replacements again.

Also in head coach Gregor Townsend’s starting line-up are Kyle Rowe, Kyle Steyn, Huw Jones, Sione Tuipulotu, Duhan van der Merwe, Ben White, Pierre Schoeman, George Turner, Zander and Matt Fagerson, Grant Gilchrist, Scott Cummings and Jack Dempsey.

Joining ten-times-capped Bath centre Redpath, 24, on the substitutes’ bench are Ewan Ashman, Alec Hepburn, Elliot Millar-Mills, Sam Skinner, Andy Christie, George Horne and Ben Healy.

Jedburgh’s Glen Young is the only Borderer in Townsend’s tournament squad at the moment, but the 29-year-old is set to be joined by Hawick’s Darcy Graham, out injured for now, in time for Scotland’s Calcutta Cup game at home to England on Saturday, February 24.

Former Gala player Townsend, 50, is glad to have Darge back, saying: “It’s great for Rory that he’s now available for us and can co-captain the side with Finn.

“To do it together in a Six Nations game, and such an important game for us, it’ll be great to see how they go in that leadership role.”